Young farmer reflects on her agricultural leadership

August 5, 2026

Attendees of the 2026 California Young Farmers & Ranchers Summer Leaders meeting tour The Mission Farm at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Napa.
Photo/Destiny Reyes

By August D’Amato

Being a first-generation farmer in California comes with many challenges. As a Delaware transplant, I struggled to navigate the California wine industry. It is a tight-knit industry that relies heavily on who you know—and I did not know anyone.

In 2019, a friend invited me to the first Napa Young Farmers & Ranchers meeting in more than two years. Some 30 young professionals in the wine industry gathered at Groth Vineyards & Winery in Napa for dinner, drinks and networking. I was immediately hooked. Not only did I make lifelong friends at the event, but it was also the day I met my husband.

August D'Amato During our first year of reviving the Napa YF&R committee, we held monthly meetings at different vineyards and wineries, and brought back Barn Dance, the annual fundraiser.

By December 2019, we had enough money to fully fund our chapter and began planning big for the future. I wrote our bylaws and created subcommittees for members to get more involved. We had elected our first officers in February 2020, and I was elected secretary.

A month later, everything stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All our big plans for the year were canceled. When farmers and ranchers were deemed essential workers, we knew we had an opportunity to give back to our community in a big way.

In April 2020, we came across The Mission Farm, a 2.5-acre volunteer-run organic farm at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Napa that donates fresh fruits and vegetables to the local food bank.

Napa YF&R Chair Julian Clymer and I looked at each other and immediately knew we had found what we were looking for. The farm needed us, and we needed them. It was the beginning of a life-changing partnership.

Napa YF&R began volunteering weekly at the farm—and continues to do so to this day. It allowed us to maintain our momentum and gather as a group while giving back to our Napa community in need. That year, the farm donated more than 23,000 pounds of produce to the Napa County Food Bank and continues to average about 20,000 pounds annually.

I was elected chair of the Napa YF&R committee in 2021. We returned to monthly meetings and incorporated guest speakers and annual activities, including cornhole and softball tournaments against Sonoma-Marin YF&R.

Along with volunteering at The Mission Farm, we incorporated interactive Agriculture in the Classroom days such as “Make Your Own Ice Cream.” We also planted a pumpkin patch and hosted two U-pick pumpkin days for students in the local community.

That December, I attended my first California Farm Bureau Annual Meeting and YF&R Conference in Anaheim, where we were awarded for community involvement. During Annual Meeting, I was elected to the state YF&R committee to represent District 17, overseeing the Napa and Sonoma-Marin YF&R committees.

During the next four years, I helped my district committees win Committee of the Year—Napa in 2022 and Sonoma-Marin in 2025, along with several other awards for their involvement. Our district remains active in community agriculture and education.

In December 2025, I was elected chair of the California YF&R committee after serving as the secretary in 2023, second vice chair in 2024 and first vice chair in 2025. During my time on the executive committee, I helped grow our social media activity and participated in the Open Discussion Meet.

As the FarmPAC chair last year, I planned our first state YF&R FarmPAC dinner and took over Napa County’s Barn Dance, netting more than $23,000 in a single evening and contributing toward our final total of $131,000 for California Farm Bureau’s FarmPAC.

It is hard to believe half the year is over. Last month, we hosted the 2026 YF&R Summer Leaders meeting in my new hometown of Napa, which had been a dream of mine since joining the executive team. I could not be prouder to have had more than 70 YF&R members from around the state join us to grow, learn and network with each other. We even toured Groth Vineyards & Winery, where my YF&R and Farm Bureau story began.

For me, the highlight of the Summer Leaders meeting was bringing 60 YF&R members to The Mission Farm to harvest tomatoes, squash, corn, peppers and cucumbers for donation. In just one hour of work, our group harvested 600 pounds of produce, and we were able to showcase a Harvest for All program that can be replicated around the state.

With about four months left as the California YF&R chair, I am excited for everything that is still to come, including a regional tour and mixer in Stanislaus County, open and collegiate Discussion Meets and wrapping up my tenure at the 2026 California Farm Bureau Annual Meeting and YF&R Conference. I hope to see you in Reno in December to celebrate all that YF&R has accomplished. Cheers!

August D’Amato is a first-generation farmer in Napa County. She works as a Carneros vineyard manager and pest control adviser for Beckstoffer Vineyards in Napa and serves as the 2026 chair of the California Young Farmers & Ranchers. She can be reached at augustd@beckstoffervineyards.com.

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Reprint with credit to California Farm Bureau. For image use, email agalert@cfbf.com